1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of ventilation of enclosures. More particularly, the present invention relates to ventilation hatch assemblies that are adapted to open on any one of a number of axes. More particularly still, the present invention relates to such a hatch assembly that can be adjustably propped open. Yet more particularly, the present invention relates to such hatch assemblies in which the hatch lid can be readily removed.
2. Description of Related Art
Often when it is desired to ventilate an enclosure, outward-opening hatch assemblies are used that are mounted on, and provide a closable opening in, a wall or the roof of the enclosure. By a xe2x80x9chatch assemblyxe2x80x9d it is meant a hatch lid mounted upon either a base, or a on base frame that is, in turn, mounted on a base. Unless otherwise stated, when reference is made herein to a hatch, a hatch lid is meant; a hatch assembly means a hatch lid in conjunction with a base frame. Such a hatch assembly commonly opens by the hatch lid swinging outward by means of a fixed hinge along one side of the hatch frame. This type of device is adequate if the interior of the enclosure to be ventilated is at a positive pressure compared to the outside pressure, or if the need for ventilation is slight. A better solution for ventilation is to employ a hatch assembly that can open on multiple axes, thereby taking advantage of natural forced convection due to wind that may blow from any direction. Given that these hatch assemblies are often roof-mounted and so normally horizontal when closed and, to a greater or lesser degree, vertical when open, it is also desirable to have an adjustable propping means for keeping the hatch open, so that the desired air flow is achieved.
The use of multiple axes of opening in conjunction with a door is disclosed in Wolter (U.S. Pat. No. 1,272,594; 1918) and Dow (U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,146; 1941). Both Wolter and Dow teach the use of doors that open on either of two opposed, parallel axes. Opposed, two-way opening is limiting where maximizing ventilation is desired. Further, these two devices employ hinges that are complicated and two hinges are required per opening axis. Furthermore, these devices lack an adjustable means of securing the door in an open position.
Kim (U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,673; 1985) discloses a window that opens on up to three independent axes working in conjunction with an array of actuator rods. Because there is no configuration of the actuator rods in which none of the axes are engaged the Kim device lacks the ability to easily disengage and remove the window short of disassembly. Furthermore, the Kim device employs complicated hinges, two being required per opening axis.
The device of Schindlauer (U.S. Pat. No. 3,690,035; 1972) provides the ability to open a window along any one of four different axes. However the device of Schindlauer is complex and requires electric motors for selectively activating hinges of the desired axis of opening. And as with the earlier cited devices, Schindlauer operates with a plurality of hinges per opening axis.
Also teaching devices with more than three axes are Bressler (U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,363; 1973) and Kemp (U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,738; 1965). Both Bressler and Kemp disclose hatch assemblies used in conjunction with pressure vessels. These hatch assemblies are inherently limited by their structure (i.e., the structural requirements of high pressure vessels) to only sealing when the interior volume of their respective pressure vessels are subjected to pressurization. Additionally, the devices of Bressler and Kemp are operated from the outside of the enclosure, where hatches for ventilation and egress need to be operatable from within. Swinderman (U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,167; 1998) discloses a door with four axes of opening. However, the Swinderman door requires a three-part hinge and possesses an inherent lack of ability to seal against inclement weather. Additionally, the Swinderman device lacks any means for varying the degree to which the door is held open.
Therefore, what is needed is a manually operated device that can be selectively opened on any one of a plurality of axes. What is further needed is such a device that can be readily removed for ingress and/or egress during an emergency. What is yet further needed is such a device that can be effectively sealed against inclement weather. What is still yet further needed is such a device that can be locked from within the enclosure which it is used to ventilate, so as to prevent ingress. What is still yet further needed is such a device that employs hinges made from few parts, and is in other ways is mechanically simple so as to be easily manufactured. Finally, what is still yet further needed is such a device that can be easily opened and held open to an adjustable degree from within the enclosure which it is used to provide access or ventilation.
The present invention includes a hatch assembly that can be selectively opened along one of a number of different axes according to its user""s desire for airflow into an enclosure on which the device is mounted. In addition, the present invention includes an adjustable prop-assembly which holds the hatch lid openxe2x80x94i.e., so that the hatch lid and a plane containing the base frame aperture form dihedral angles of varying degreesxe2x80x94to any desired degree of opening. The enclosure will often be an interior volume of a yacht or a motor home. However, this enclosure could also be an automobile, a building, or any other volume for which ventilation is desired. In one roof-mounted embodiment, the hatch assembly of present invention can be visualized as being somewhat like a common skylight with a hinge along each of its edges.
The hatch assembly, in its most basic form, consists of a hatch lid (including a hatch-lid frame and a hatch-lid deck), a base, a rod element, a plurality of removably engageable pins, and an optional prop mechanism. The hatch-lid is mounted to the base, surrounding an opening through an enclosing surface of the enclosure. The xe2x80x9cbasexe2x80x9d may be either integral to the surface of the enclosure surrounding the opening or, alternately, a separate base frame mounted to that surface around that opening. xe2x80x9cBase framexe2x80x9d will refer to either alternative. Where desirable, a seal, gasket, weather stripping, may be provided to make the hatch assembly weather, water, or air tight.
A continuous peripheral rod element acts as the means of communication between the hatch lid and the base frame, and the plurality of removably engagable pins are provided for engaging the rod element. The rod-element has a predetermined number of straight segments corresponding to the number of straight sides of the perimeter of the hatch lid and base frame, and each straight segment is able to act as an axis of opening for the hatch. The hatch lid and base frame can have the shape of any geometric figure having as many straight sides as there are desired axes of openingxe2x80x94e.g., square for a four-way-opening hatch assembly, hexagonal for a six-way-opening hatch assembly, and so forth. The shape need not be regular or symmetrical, and it need not conform to the shape of the opening, but only need surround it. The rod element can be fixed to either the hatch lid or the base frame, conforming to the geometric perimeter of the hatch lid and base frame. Thus, the rod element is integral with one component, hatch lid or base frame, and received by the other in a groove or channel conforming to and made to receive the rod-element. In either case, the straight segments of the rod element between the hatch-lid and the base frame act as the hinge pins of the hinges about which the hatch lid pivots; the confining components of the hinges, in which the hinge pins rotate, are provided by the removably engageable pins.
The hatch lid, in its most basic form, consists of a generally flat hatch-lid deck made of a plate-like material fitted within a hatch-lid frame. Where a roof-mounted hatch may be walked on or have to support weight, the hatch-lid deck will be made from a suitably strong material, such as wood, plastic, or metal, and may be provided with a non-skid upper surface. Also, where it is desirable to admit light or permit visibility through the closed hatch, the hatch-lid deck material may be translucent or transparent.
To open the hatch along a particular axis of opening, a user positions one of the plurality of pins to engage the appropriate straight segment of the rod element, disengages or removes all remaining pins from all the remaining straight segments of the rod element, then pushes the hatch-lid open. Because only one straight segment of the rod element along one common side of the hatch lid and base frame is restrained, and the other sides of the hatch lid and base frame are unrestrained, the hatch lid pivots open about the selected axis. Being integral to the structure of the hatchxe2x80x94either the base frame or hatch-lid framexe2x80x94the rod element, in combination with the pins, provides the present invention with a simple multi-axis hinge mechanism, one requiring only a pin to complete the hinge mechanism on any desired axis. Furthermore, the simple, disengagable hinges thus formed also allow the hatch lid to be easily uncoupled and removed from the base frame, simply by disengaging or removing all the pins at once. and the prop support pins. Conversely, the same simple multi-axis hinge mechanism also acts as a means of locking the hatch assembly simply by engaging all, or at least two or more, of the pins at the same time. Still further, the all or any of the mechanically simple functions of hinging, uncoupling, and locking the hatch assemble are easily and equally operatable by manual, mechanical, electromechanical, pneumatic, or any other well-known means of actuation and manipulation.
In order to maximize ventilation according to the user""s preference, and in general, to take advantage of the wind direction and wind speed, the hatch lid may be held open to varying degrees by an adjustable prop assembly. The present invention is not limited to providing ventilation, and may simultaneously provide a closure for a means of ingress and egress, so that the prop assembly is also removable. The adjustable, removable prop assembly consists of a support tube and an actuation rod. The support tube adjustably engages the actuator rod by suitable means, including ramped blocks, screw clamps, or any other suitably adjustable engagement means, so that the actuator rod can be held secure at any point as it slides through or along the support tube.
One end of the actuator rod is attached to the hatch lid. The attachment may be fixed or removable, depending on the desired use of the hatch assembly. The other end of the actuator rod may have a handle by which the actuator rod may be pushed or pulled through or along the support tube, in order to open or close the hatch lid, by which the actuator rod may be turned and otherwise manipulated, and the manipulations of which may also be used to engage the adjustable engagement means and secure the hatch lid in the desired position. The ends of the support tube are removably attached to opposite sides or corners of the base frame, so that the support tube spans the opening and can be removed separately from or along with the hatch lid. The actuator rod and/or the support tube are hinged in a manner that allows the actuator rod to assume any angle with respect to the hatch opening and hatch lid and provide support and stabilization of the hatch lid.